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Having the unimaginable done to you. Doing the unthinkable. That‘s what this book is about. It‘s about seeing your family members as they truly are. Yourself too for that matter. It takes looking at the past with eyes relaxed to a blur to see it, vague at first then shockingly clear. Set on a farm where you want bounty and nostalgia, you find only debt and darkness.

📖 7-12-22 || I‘m late to the game with this one, but am slowly working my way through the Pulitzer winners. Read through the lens of King Lear, this is a literary masterpiece. The writing is evocative and absorbing. As a sensitive reader I chose to ignore the trigger warnings and this was definitely a difficult read for me.

I‘m having so much fun reading these two simultaneously. A Thousand Acres is a “reimagining”of King Lear and I‘ve always wanted to read both. It‘s been a while since I read Shakespeare (oof!) and though Lear isn‘t exactly a “summer read”, Thousand Acres is set in summer and the writing is perfection!

2022 Read Harder Challenge
#20: Read an award-winning book from the year you were born
1992! 😅 I don‘t know if this book has aged amazingly well, but it pairs well with “Succession” on HBO 😂

A retelling of King Lear, I flew through this one. 3 daughters must deal with trauma and abuse and the closeness of a rural environment as they navigate their lives after their father, who is descending into senility, turns over ownership of the land to two of his daughters. Deep exploration of impact of trauma, the choices each character makes, and the intimacy of a small community. Great discussion for family book club.

Cathy, you are so lovely! Thank you for such a delightful parcel and your kind wishes. I agree Hugo Best looks like a perfect handbag book, and A Thousand Acres has been on my radar for years but I've never gotten around to it. Much love to you. Thank you again.😘

This isn‘t an action-packed, plot-driven book by any means. But it is such a quietly good book that captured the feeling and darkness of farm life so well. #catsoflitsy

This Pulitzer-Prize-winning King Lear retelling, which is set in my home state (and mentions my relatively obscure home town a couple times), has been on my tbr for years. It's every bit as dark and twisty as you would expect of a book based on a Shakespeare tragedy. The characters are complex and rather unlikable, but the imagery and description are fantastic, and plot surprised me many times.

#spotlightgiveaway @BarbaraBB congratulations Barbara & thankyou. I‘m spotlighting this tagged book. I read it recently... excellent!

A friend recommended this king Lear retelling set on an Iowa farm in the 90‘s. We really get to focus on the two older sisters which was interesting

I thought this an excellent book. Based on King Lear. Completely absorbing from start to finish.

I stared at him, the plain hopeful visage of a plain man. The other face was never out of my mind , leaner & more hawkish, more suspicious, less benign One face somehow met you , looked back at you , was the impenetrable & almost simple face of innocence. The other , the more you looked at it , the more it escaped you. It‘s very features seemed elusive , seemed to promise a meaning , or even a truth , that was more complex & interesting than 👇🏻

This is a lovely space to be in. Excellent book, nice wine. A balmy evening sitting outside ....

This is the Jane Smiley I remember from The One Hundred Years Trilogy.
The story telling! The characters! The farm - the kingdom. Beginning at the farm ( I am a small town/city girl) So , I don‘t know why, but I love this farm talk ! Even the descriptions of tractors ... From the word go ,
the characters are strong , the story is strong. King Lear themes full on already.
I‘m in for a good weekend ❤️

My books arrived in the bookshop 💫. Have wanted to read A Thousand Acres for a long time now. Loosely based on King Lear.
Also this new thriller sounds good .... excited !! Having a double shot of coffee too 👍🏻

Daughter remembers the path to familial implosion after Dad decides to step back from the family farm and leave the management to his two eldest daughters and their husbands, thereby cutting out the youngest daughter.

Trying to gauge my feelings about this story. I don't think I really liked anyone. Not even sure if I feel sorry for anyone of them. But I did want to see what happened.

So for #pennylane I thought of this article in Oprah magazine about books that evoke various regions. This pic is from the Midwest section. I love to read books about the places I travel. #heyjune

Morning reading at the lake is not bad at all. #MountTBR

A favorite #retelling of King Lear by my Midwestern homegirl Jane Smiley.

#maylovesclassics, @Sarah83, @Bambolina_81

#BookNBrunch! Cheesy scrambled eggs, crispy corned beef hash, extra-crispy seasoned tater tots, and English Breakfast tea with milk & honey. Yum! 😋This has been another presentation of: #MrBookBookBabeKitchen. Happy reads & happy eats!

☀️Genres: Lit fic, fantasy, sci fi
🌸Authors: Rowell, Atwood, Calvino
☀️Books: A 1000 Acres, Neverwhere, Bird by Bird
🌸Littens: of course my ladies at @LitsyFeministBookClub -- @BookishFeminist and @TheNextBook
☀️Bookstores and bookish things: Pageturners (Omaha) and almost any comic book store
🌸Fav bookish thing: 1984 shirt
☀️Place to read: hammock on the beach-- anyone have one handy?
🌸Season: Spring

#litsy321Favorites

Two amazing #retelling(s) of Shakespeare's King Lear and The Tempest. #sizzlinsummerreads @Tiffy_Reads

I can't wait to sink into this book! I have heard nothing but rave reviews! #newbook #newjourney #janesmiley #athousandacres #startingnow #butfirstlitsy Has anybody here read it? If so please comment and let me know what you think. But please, no spoilers.😉

I love the cover photo! Still on my #tbr #mrbluesky #junetunz

Jane Smiley is a #localauthor in more ways than one. All of the books featured, and more than half a dozen not, take place less than a hundred miles from where I drank my coffee this morning. Smiley likes to say that she never writes the same kind of book twice, so her work has a lot of range. If you've never read her, start with A Thousand Acres, a retelling of King Lear in Iowa. #aprilbookshowers

#Marchintoreading #autobuyauthors Clockwise from top, but not in order of favoritism, Billy Collins, Jane Smiley, Margaret Atwood, and Ann Patchett.

Hello, old friends #springcleaning

USED BOOKSTORE HAUL

I held my nose and bought this for four dollars today - I hate movie tie-in editions - anyway, I've wanted to read this farm novel for a long time.

Sneak reading while at work because I don't feel like working on the reconcilations due next week!

Okay this was really good. I finished it yesterday night and have been thinking about it since then non-stop. It's an tragic novel about family, loss, rivalry, abuse, society, honesty.. Smiley transposes the Shakespearian King Lear tragedy to a modern-day farm in a subtle but striking manner. This isn't a fast-paced novel but it certainly raises questions about human relationships and personal conflicts. 4/5 ⭐️
Cool stickers, @Litsy !

Getting some reading done while listening to Ramin Djawadi's stunning music for season 1 of Westworld!😍🎶

Aw cute! Caught this just in time 🎉🎉🔥❤😍 Thanka for the pretty number guys!😜

#photoadaynov16 #currentlyreading ... Although I'm technically reading about 4 books atm this is the one I'm going to indulge in the most for the next few days; started it this morning 🤘📚 (I desperately need to catch up with my GR reading challenge!)

A friend gave me this because she thought it was dull. Then I picked it up & found it full of lies, deceit, & murder! Still don't understand how she found it dull. A great #awardwinning book. #booktober

Although today is the end of banned books, continue to support creative freedom and the 1st Amendment -Read banned books, Celebrate Diversity, fREADom!! #bannedbooksweek

Not my best reading month, but 5 books isn't too bad at all.

Jane Smiley, #BOTD in 1949.

This book is good but MAN is it heavy. Might need a palate cleanser after this.

Entertaining myself while my friend gets her hair chopped off.

Currently reading!

This book! It's funny and it's sad, it's dense but it's quick, it's plodding yet it's sudden. I loved it! King Lear set on an Iowa farm. Highly recommend!

You guys...this book...it's crazy! I don't see these twists and turns coming!!!

Ummm wow. Quite a speech. Even though the dad is a total tyrant, I didn't see this coming...

Excited to start this well-loved copy of A Thousand Acres. Should be required for me, right, living in Iowa??

A dark, rich novel about a family in decay, I loved the parallels to King Lear. This book is luscious in its prose but haunting with its content. Definitely a great picks if you are up for the challenge. Emotionally scarring and achingly beautiful.